Council, board chop nearly $1.2M off tab Budget adjusted to keep elementary guidance program BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer Faced with council-ordered cuts they could not live with, the Old Bridge Board of Education restructured its budget to ensure that the elementary school guidance counseling program stays intact. The board met with the Township Council for a final hearing Monday night on the defeated $122.8 million budget for the 2007-08 school year. "We're going to have to go back and look at all of the elements of the budget," Superintendent of Schools Simon Bosco said after the meeting. "We are not going to give up on the elementary school guidance program." After the council announced it would order a $1,175,100 reduction in the school budget, Board of Education President Frank Piccillo requested that the council consider bringing the cut to a flat million, in order to cover half the $377,300 cost of the elementary guidance program. "It is the consensus of the board that [cutting the program] would definitely not be in the best interest of the children, especially the ones who need it the most," Piccillo said. The council's financial committee would not reconsider its decision. "We're put in a difficult position here, because we're forced to respond to the will of the voters," Council President Pat Gillespie said. "We're forced to make decisions about what our priorities are." Before the cuts, the school tax rate was to increase by 10.8 cents per $100 of assessed value. With the cuts in place, the tax rate hike will be 9 cents. On the average home, assessed at $144,000, the tax increase will be about $130 instead of $156 for the coming school year. The school board will achieve some of the cuts through the use of unforeseen funds in the budget. The retirements of several teachers and staff members brought a savings of $602,000 for the coming year, and lower rates for medical benefits represented a $500,000 savings. However, one increase to the budget was included, with $404,400 being added because of the loss of aid for the federally-mandated No Child Left Behind program. "We've been trying to achieve savings by underspending our budget," School Business Administrator Nancy Mongon said. The board voted unanimously to accept the council's reduction. Though it agreed to the total, the board is not obligated to follow the council's line-by-line reductions. "Each time the budget fails, there are consequences," Gillespie said. "If the budget continues to fail, those consequences are going to get worse." The budget failed by a vote of 1,361 to 1,152 in the April 17 school election. Due to the overall sentiment of the board and administration regarding the importance of elementary guidance counselors however, the board found it necessary to dip into the district's fund balance, or surplus account, to keep the program afloat, according to Mongon. The elementary guidance program consists of five counselors who rotate shifts among the district's 12 elementary schools. Their salaries total $297,300, with benefits totaling $80,000. The counselors were hired in 2001 through a federal grant program, and have been funded in by the board since the 2004-05 school year. "I know when I went to McDivitt School, we didn't have guidance counselors," Gillespie said. While Piccillo said he appreciates the council's position of having to make cuts to the budget, he disagreed with the idea that doing away with the elementary guidance program would not have an effect on the students. "If you're going to address the social and emotional growth of a child, you're going to impact their academic growth," Piccillo, who works as a school principal in Jersey City, said. The council's finance committee is comprised of Gillespie and councilmen Bob Volkert, and Richard Greene. Councilwoman Lucille Panos also attended each of the meetings since the budget defeat. Along with auditor Robert Morrison, the group met several times with the board and members of the public to create a workable budget. "It's always a quandary when the budget goes down," Councilman Edward Testino said. "We have a big population to educate, that's the bottom line. It's a tough challenge, because it goes up in the face of what you're trying to do." Throughout the process, the council received input from voters, both at the meetings and online, where they invited residents to post. Panos spoke of several suggestions that were brought to her from the public, including buyouts on dual insurance coverage for family members working in the district, and corporate sponsorships. Another suggestion from the public shared by Panos was that administrators come into the classrooms to teach as substitutes. It would not only save money, Panos said, but also impart a positive message to the students. "Attitude reflects leadership," Panos said. Several board members grumbled and shook their heads at the concept. "You're only going to impact 25 kids doing that," Piccillo later told the Sentinel. "Principals are instructional leaders. You can't be a leader if you're in the classroom. You can have an impact on students, but only 25." Piccillo later told the Suburban that principals do things to ensure that they have a knowledge of what is going on with the students throughout the entire school, such as analyzing test scores and going on "learning walks," during which they visit and monitor classrooms throughout the school. "First and foremost, our priority is to provide a quality education," Piccillo said. He said there were no ill feelings left over from the process, and he welcomed both residents and council members to get involved in the next year's school budget at the onset of talks. "We're looking forward to expanding our relationship with the council in terms of shared services in order to defray the burden on the taxpayers," Piccillo said. "I'm hoping in the future we can all work together for the benefit of all the children."